Law Professor to Explain Cruz Waivers on KHUM Today

What is a Cruz waiver? Under what circumstances are the they granted? What is a prosecutor’s role in opposing them, or not opposing them? Why would a violent felon be released into society before they are sentenced?

Questions like these have been at the forefront of the Humboldt County conscience since Tuesday, when the Times-Standard broke the news that Jason Anthony Warren, the suspect in two horrific crimes last week — a homicide in Hoopa and the early morning hit-and-run accident on Old Arcata Road — was at-large in the world on a “Cruz waiver” he had received for earlier violent crimes. Warren had pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and was scheduled to go to prison for six years, but he was released into his own custody pending a sentencing hearing.

At 3 p.m. on KHUM, Larry Trask will speak with Peter Keane, a law professor and the former dean of the Golden Gate University School of Law. Trask will try to get some clarity on the law in cases such as this, and how this particular case may or may not have deviated standard procedure.